Expert View: Online Bogeyman

You'll hear all sorts of scary arguments for not putting personal data online.

0shares

You'll hear all sorts of scary arguments for not putting personal data online. The idea of using an online service to back up your most valuable personal files may seem insane. Don't let fear of this online bogeyman become yet another obstacle to storing protected backups of your critical files. Backup is a chore. Nobody does it! If you don't, though, the question isn't whether you'll lose data, it's just when and how much. Anything that makes you more likely to back up is good.

Online backup takes a lot of the pain out of the process by doing away with media swappingyou just set it and forget it. Even better, many services keep previous versions of files automatically, so when you accidentally overwrite a file (and who hasn't done that?), you can easily retrieve the original. There's another advantage, and it's a big one: Your files are safe on somebody else's servers. If your home implodes into a Stone Age burial mound, you can recover those backups.

True, you're entrusting your data to a relatively unknown entity. The service could go out of business, an ethically challenged employee could glom onto your information, or attackers could steal information. If the company does fail, though, you still have your original information and can make new backups. And the servers are probably better defended against attacks than your own systems; hackers would be better off stealing from you directly.

Defend your data by encrypting your backed-up files; that way they'll be useless to a thief in the unlikely event of a heist. Simply choose a provider that encrypts your backup with a personal private keysomething not available to the service. That way employees can't peek at your data and the service can't be forced to hand it over to the men in black. Yes, if you lose the key you're in trouble, but you've lost access only to your backups. Once again, you've still got the original info.

Could your data be stolen? Of course, but it's not likely. On the other hand, there's little question that you'll eventually lose data to user error, a system crash, or a virus. Given the odds, you're better off backing up to an online service than not backing up at all. I'm certainly not letting privacy worries keep me from backing up onlineI'm just taking steps to keep my information safe.

Neil Rubenking served as vice president and president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years when the IBM PC was brand new. He was present at the formation of the Association of Shareware Professionals, and served on its board of directors. In 1986, PC Magazine brought Neil on board to handle the torrent of Turbo Pascal tips submitted by readers. By 1990, he had become PC Magazine's technical editor, and a coast-to-coast telecommuter. His "User to User" column supplied readers with tips...
More »

Automatic Renewal Program: Your subscription will continue without interruption for as long as you wish, unless
you instruct us otherwise. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the term unless you authorize
cancellation. Each year, you'll receive a notice and you authorize that your credit/debit card will be charged the
annual subscription rate(s). You may cancel at any time during your subscription and receive a full refund on all
unsent issues. If your credit/debit card or other billing method can not be charged, we will bill you directly instead. Contact Customer Service